Effects of brooding temperature and molybdenum on the turkey poult

Day-old White Broad Breastfed male turkeys were brooded for 10 days in a Honeywell environmental chamber. The chamber was configured to brood one-half of the birds at 29 C and the other half at 35 C. The poults were fed a practical corn-soy starter diet containing .8% phosphorus and 1.35% calcium. A 5 ppm molybdenum supplement was given to half the birds at each temperature. A significant (P less than or equal to .05) temperature X diet interaction occurred with both bone ash and serum phosphorus. Bone ash and serum phosphorus were significantly lower (P less than or equal to .05) in poults fed the diet supplemented with 5 ppm molybdenum at 29 C. Molybdenum supplementation did not significantly affect bone ash at 35 C but significantly increased (P less than or equal to .05) serum phosphorus at this brooding temperature. Both body weight and serum calcium were significantly higher (P less than or equal to .05) in poults brooded at 35 versus 29 C. Diets containing the molybdenum supplement did not significantly affect either body weight or serum calcium.